FAQs

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Frequently Asked Questions

AMI meters enable two-way communication between the meter and our central system, recording consumption rates in intervals of an hour or less. Learn more with the myths vs. facts sheet provided by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

Another concern voiced about AMI meters is the Electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure. The World Health Organization has concluded there is no link between EMF exposure and EHS symptoms. The entire article can be read using the link below.

At this time, due dates cannot be changed. They are geographically based in accordance with our meter reading schedule. If the current bill is not paid in full, a penalty will be assessed. Cut off dates vary each month.

PCRF stands for power cost recovery factor and is calculated based on wholesale power cost charges from FELPS’ electricity supplier, CPS Energy. PCRF enables FELPS to recover the cost of wholesale energy from customers on a monthly basis.

What wholesale energy factors are recovered in PCRF?

Cost of capacity from CPS Energy – capacity is the generation that CPS has allocated to serve the growing electric load of FELPS.

Cost of fuel – CPS Energy’s system fuel cost for their power generation consists of a diverse blend of fuel sources, including coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewable sources.

CPS Energy strategically procures from various fuel sources for generation so as to not be too dependent on any one generation source and create volatility for customers.

FELPS benefits from this blend because it allows FELPS wholesale costs to be fairly stable.

A blended portfolio may not mean a utility always has the lowest cost of power, but it will have a stable cost of power, largely immune to huge swings in fuel prices.

Cost of power delivery to FELPS

ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) manages the statewide transmission system by which FELPS is interconnected to sources of power.

Transmission costs have more than doubled in the last 3 years due to the state’s investment in transmission infrastructure to move power from renewable sources in west Texas to load centers in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Ancillary services – load balancing and grid balancing services required to be provided by all loads in ERCOT (FELPS is a load in ERCOT).

ERCOT fees – mandatory charges from the Public Utility Commission to fund ERCOT’s management of the transmission grid.

What factors can influence changes in PCRF outside the control of FELPS or CPS Energy?

Unplanned generation outages during peak usage – if generation fails to perform during peak usage / peak price intervals in ERCOT, ERCOT will deploy the generation asset with the next lowest cost – – this can impact the cost of purchased power depending on the cost of the generation asset deployed.

Transmission constraints and congestion – if transmission is down for maintenance and load suddenly spikes, ERCOT is forced to redeploy generation from other locations to meet load obligations and this can result in price spikes, which are often shared by the market.

Changing fuel prices – natural gas prices have fallen but costs for coal have remained fairly stable, and CPS Energy’s cost of nuclear generation has remained fairly stable, so FELPS PCRF has not been impacted the same as if the utility were served by 100% natural gas generation resources.

G&T Factor for January & February 2018 – $0.07950 per kWh. G&T Factor for March – May 2018 – $0.078000 per kWh. G&T Factor for June – September 2018 – $0.074500 per kWh. G&T Factor for October – November 2018 – $0.072000 per kWh. G&T Factor for December 2018 – October 2019 $0.069000 per kWh. G&T Factor beginning in November 2019 – $0.078000.

The Reactive Power Support Fee (RPSF) is related to providing reactive power to motor loads such as AC units, refrigerators, etc. Reactive power (kVar) is not provided by most distributed generation (DG) units. FELPS must make investments in its system to provide reactive power with capacitor banks. How is it determined? It is the cost of providing system reactive power to customers. The fee is tied directly to the nameplate capacity on the approved FELPS distributed generation application. The initial charge will be set at $1.02/kW per month of nameplate DG capacity. For example, a 5 kW solar system pays a RPSF of $5.10 per month. A 20 kW solar system pays a RPSF of $20.40 per month. The fee is designed to ensure that every DG customer pays their fair share of the increased costs to the system. The charge may change in the future. If you are unsure of what FELPS has listed for your nameplate DG capacity, please call (830) 216-7000 sub-option 1 to speak with a customer service representative.

Funds from this Program are used to provide monetary assistance to individuals needing help with their FELPS electric bill. By signing up, your electric bill is ‘rounded up’ to the next highest whole dollar amount. For instance, if your actual electric bill is $83.87, it will be rounded up to $84. The additional 13 cents provides assistance for individuals needing help with their energy bill.

Average contributions are only about $6 per year, and never exceed 99 cents in a single month. Individually, the amount contributed to Helping Hands may not seem significant, but put this change together and it can go a long way in making a difference within our community.

This program is administered by the Community Council of South Central Texas (CCSCT). For assistance with your electric bill, please contact CCSCT at (830) 393-1072.

At this time, FELPS does not offer any rebates or discounts for energy efficient appliances. This type program would need to be funded through an additional customer charge, therefore, FELPS does not offer rebates.

The service address or meter number of the location that you want transferred to your name.

A valid driver’s license, passport or other state-issued identification card and your social security number.

Proof of occupancy or approval from the current occupant and a $100 connect fee will be required.

A completed Service Application. We can take your information over the phone at 830.216.7000 or in person at 1400 Fourth Street, Floresville. You must physically sign the form to acknowledge your acceptance with the terms. Don’t forget a copy of your driver’s license if you submit the application via email or FAX.

A deposit of twice the average bill at this location will be required or a minimum of $250 if this is a new location. The deposit may be reduced with excellent credit as determined by a 3rd party credit check, or it may be waived if you have excellent credit with FELPS on a similar account.

We’ll contact you within three business days, upon receipt of your request, to set an appointment to meet at your location. We cannot estimate the costs of installation until a line designer has met and discussed your needs.